What to know about Springfield HS baseball after nearly a month
High school baseball is in full swing across Missouri and teams have separated themselves to be considered among the best in the area and the state.
The Ozarks features a handful of state championship contenders and loaded districts that will be worth watching next month.
Here's what you need to know through the first month of the high school baseball season.
A Willard-Webb City state championship game is fun to think about
The Class 5 postseason tournament's layout makes it possible for two teams from southwest Missouri to face off in the state championship. The area has the No. 1 and 2 teams in the class, allowing us to dream.
No. 1 Willard and No. 2 Webb City are on opposite sides of the bracket. The Tigers fell in a district championship last year to state quarterfinalist Glendale while the Cardinals placed fourth in the state.
Both have proven to be among the state's best through this season's early weeks. It makes the May 2 game in Webb City between the two a possible state preview.
Willard continues to be considered an area power under Scott McGee whose team lost its first game 2-1 in a neutral site contest with Liberty on Saturday. The Blue Jays have been a 20-plus-win program over the last decade with a Class 6 state title in 2021
The Tigers have received consistent starting pitching having not given up more than two runs in nine of its 13 games. Senior Cameron Jennings has thrown good innings in addition to senior Will Merryman. The team seems to have a few solid arms while averaging 7.5 runs per game, led by the bat of senior Landon Moore.
Willard won't have to play Glendale in the postseason this year but will still have some challengers in district play with West Plains, Catholic and Branson which is slotted as the field's host school. Catholic, despite a sub-.500 record, shouldn't be counted out when it's played a loaded schedule early in the year as it tends to do. The Fightin' Irish always seems to figure it out come postseason time.
Webb City's district isn't as loaded and will have to travel to Belton (just south of Kansas City) to play. The Cardinals won't have to play a currentlyranked team until Kearney (which beat the Cardinals 9-0 on March 30) in the state quarterfinals.
The Class 6, District 6 postseason will be a must-watch
Making plans to be at Kickapoo for the Class 6, District 6 postseason might not be a bad idea because a few teams are capable of winning it and the area's large school district has only gotten stronger.
Nixa is currently touted as the team to beat in the district as it's been impressive against a loaded schedule. Its most notable wins came in the Springfield Red and Blue Tournament where it swept through with wins over stateranked Liberty North, Lee's Summit West and Kearney.
The Eagles have been led by Missouri State commit Wyatt Vincent, who has been on a tear to start the year, as well as Rylan Michel, Jack Edwards and highly touted freshman Adam McKnight. Pitching has been strong with Colin Kelley picking up where he left off a year ago. Cameron Miller and Nate Uber have been another pair of solid starters on a deep pitching staff.
Glendale moved from Class 5 to Class 6 this year and has looked like Nixa's biggest challenger. The Falcons have some solid wins, including an early-season win over Nixa, a win over Republic in extras and a recent victory over Webb City. Sebastian Norman